


Dreamscapers II: Morty's Mindblowers

by LesbeanLatte



Category: Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Angst, Bisexual Character, Drama & Romance, F/F, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Family Shenanigans, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gay Character, Gay Characters, Gen, I worked so hard on this plot y'all, Lesbian Character, M/M, Mind Games, Mind Manipulation, Mysteries, Mystery, Mystery Twins, No Incest, No Smut, Platonic Relationships, Plot, Secrets, stanchez
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-04-21 05:39:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14278071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LesbeanLatte/pseuds/LesbeanLatte
Summary: Rick and Morty go to Gravity Falls in this one broh!When strange symbols start appearing in the Mystery Shack, Dipper Pines pieces together that someone is trying to bring the evil mind demon Bill Cipher back to Gravity Falls. No one knows who to trust.Meanwhile, Rick Sanchez C137 gets a call from an old friend. Morty can tell Rick is hiding something, but he has no idea how serious Rick's secret is or that it could destroy their entire relationship.Bill Cipher has made a deal with President Morty that will help them both get what they want, which may just involve destroying Rick Sanchez for good...





	1. Rickety Falls

It had been about seven months since Morty Smith C137 had been elected president of what had once been the Citadel of Ricks. 

He straightened his red tie and took a sip of whiskey from his glass, putting his feet up on the enormous desk in front of him and staring out the fortieth floor window at the city of Ricks and Mortys that now belonged to him. 

He was the leader of countless versions of the smartest man on earth, making him one of the most powerful beings across dimensions. But it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough until he got revenge on the man that had betrayed him. 

Morty put his legs down on the floor, and leaned forward to scratch at careful sketch of a triangle with an eye in the center, drawn with pencil on his desk. He wasn’t used to being kept waiting by anyone, even omnipotent triangle assholes. 

“Morty!” yelled a familiar, enthusiastic, voice from the entrance to Morty’s office. Morty didn’t bother turning around at first. He just took another sip from his glass, ignoring the bitter taste. He’d grown used to bitterness. 

“You’re late.” 

“I was busy. Now let’s-”

“Busy partying again?” Morty asked, spinning his chair around and glaring at the yellow triangle. 

“Busy prepping for our plan of world domination, buddy,” Bill Cipher laughed. “Morty, if I didn’t know better I’d think you think you’re in charge or something.” Bill narrowed his single eye in a way that Morty hated to admit sent shivers down his spine. A moment later Bill was back to laughing like they were old friends, which after all, they kind of were. “But I know even a Morty would never be that stupid!” Bill burst into maniacal laughter. 

Morty C137 gritted his teeth. In truth, Mortys were not stupid. He knew it. Bill knew it. Even most Ricks knew it. Rick C137 for sure knew it. But, as Morty Smith C137 and Bill Cipher both knew, the truth rarely mattered when it came to finding a person’s sore spot. 

In another dimension, another Morty Smith was standing in the garage with Rick Sanchez C137, comfortable in the assumption that he was Morty Smith C137. 

Rick C137 aimed his portal, hit a few coordinates, and opened a swirling green portal. It was a familiar scene. Summer was sitting in a chair, reclined with her feet up on Rick’s desk, playing on her phone. The Citadel was far from any of their minds. 

“Aw geez Rick,” Morty said. “Is this gonna be another one of those things w-where you say the world is gonna end and we have to stop it and stuff and it ends up just being like, a giant butt that farts on me or something? Cause that stopped being funny after like, the fifth time.” 

“I don’t know it was still pretty funny to me the fifth time,” Summer said without looking up from her phone. 

Rick gave Summer a high five, and laughed. 

“Hey,” Summer said, still texting “You guys ever think about those Zigerion scammers and that time they put you in a simulation to try and steal the recipe for dark matter?” 

“What?” Morty asked. 

“Yeah, why would you say something like that?” Rick asked. 

“I dunno,” Summer shrugged. “Just trying to bring up something that might be important later in the story.” 

“What are you talking about?” Morty asked. 

“Yeah,” Rick said. “That’s m-my thing. God Summer you’re so dumb.” 

“Summer, you’re such a stupid bitch,” Morty said. 

“Well, time to go through a portal and into a dimension completely unrelated to that season one simulation episode,” Rick said, and hopped through the portal. “Hungry for apples,” he muttered in disgust, and vanished into the green light. 

Morty followed Rick through the swirling green portal and into what looked like some kind of alien shop. A moment later, Summer fell through the portal and slammed into his back knocking him forward into a taxidermy display of a monkey and fish crossbreed labeled ‘mermaid.’ 

Morty couldn’t help but take a little bit of pride in how smooth he was getting at stepping through portals. His older sister, not having been on as many adventures as him, was still getting used to it. Rick was already walking around the shop and picking up items and discarding them. He was holding a rock with a face on it, labeled ‘rock with a face on it.’ 

“Grandpa Rick, I thought you said this place was on earth,” Summer said, replacing the ‘mermaid’ she had knocked over and giving it a suspicious look, like she was waiting for it to come alive. 

“It is,” Rick replied. “It’s called the *URP* Mystery Shack.” 

“Aw Rick,” Morty complained. “Is this just like a dumb tourist trap or something? Why are we even here?” 

“Ugh, I told you Morty we’re here because Noob Noob called and told me he’d gotten a tip about an earth threatening being, and not that I care about earth but it’s a hassle to move dimensions. I thought you were into all that heroic vindicators crap.” 

“I was until you proved what assholes they all were,” Morty said. “But, I thought you didn’t even remember Noob Noob.” 

“When I heard his voice on the phone, it all started coming back,” Rick said, turning around and examining a blue hat with a pine tree on it as if it were the most fascinating item in the world. 

Morty narrowed his eyes. Something was up. Rick was always a little evasive about, well everything. But this was different. Rick didn’t usually go for these hero type adventures and there was something he wasn’t telling Morty and Summer about his reason for being in such a hurry to get to a boring town like Gravity Falls, Oregon. 

“HI!” a voice yelled from behind Morty, making him jump. He stumbled into a shelf of bobble heads of a weird looking old man with a red hat. “I’m Mabel,” said a little girl with long brown hair, braces, and huge smile. She was wearing a sweater with a unicorn on it. 

“M-morty,” Morty said, holding out his hand. He glanced at the ceiling where a grappling hook was attached. “D-did you just swing down from the ceiling on a grappling hook? 

Mabel ignored Morty’s question and shook his hand with so much enthusiasm he almost fell over. “This is my brother Dipper,” she said, nodding behind her where a non-grappling hook wielding kid was standing. 

“Hi,” said Dipper. He was wearing one of the blue hats with a pine tree Morty had noticed earlier, and had his hands behind his back. 

“Hey-” Summer began, appearing from behind one of the shelves. Before she could get in another word, Mabel was shooting her with a plastic gun and within a few minutes, Summer was covered in tiny rainbow colored beads. 

“You’re bedazzled!” Mabel announced. 

Summer just stared at Mabel for a few seconds, but then a huge grin spread across her face. “I like this kid,” she said. 

“Where are your great uncles? I need to talk to them,” Rick asked Mabel and Dipper, taking a sip from his flask. 

“They’re both down in the secret basement,” Mabel said. She walked over the vending machine and started hitting buttons. A minute later, the vending machine moved and a door opened with a set of stairs behind it. 

“Mabel!” Dipper yelled. “You can’t just show that to everyone, what if they’re government spies or-”

“We’re not government spies,” Rick interrupted.

“Yeah!” Mabel said. “Grunkle Ford told me to expect a smelly old man in a lab coat and two kids to come through a portal into the Mystery Shack, and to let them down into the secret basement when they got here.” 

“And you didn’t think to tell me about that conversation?” Dipper asked. Mabel just shrugged, pressing a different combination on the vending machine and sticking in a dollar. A candy bar popped out and she tore the wrapper off with her teeth and started eating it. Dipper sighed. 

“Alright, M-morty,” Rick said. “Come on,” he gestured towards the stairs. “Summer, take Dipper and Mabel to get ice cream or something.” 

“Ice cream!” Mabel cheered, stuffing the last of her candy bar into her mouth. Morty got the idea Mabel wasn’t phased by much. 

“What?” Summer asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Grandpa Rick, I am just as capable as Morty when it comes to-”

Before Summer could get in another word, Morty was being dragged into the secret passageway. Rick hit a button and the door closed behind them. 

“We’re going to learn all kinds of things about my past in a minute here, M*URP*orty,” Rick said. “Important things! But no one is gonna know but us at first Morty, because the next chapter is gonna be mostly dedicated to a romantic subplot that has very little to do with the main plot, Morty.” 

“Wh-what are you talking about Rick?” Morty asked, as Rick dragged him into an elevator. 

“The author of this fic is really fucking *URP* gay, M-morty, so there’s gotta be a femslash subplot, Morty, or it doesn’t count.” 

“Wh-what doesn’t count?” Morty asked. Before he could get any further though, they were stepping out of the elevator. They were in a huge room filled with computers and strange gadgets. 

Two old men were waiting for them, one studying a page covered in notes and the other eating a hotdog.


	2. Weirdmageddon 3???

Three swirling spirals were drawn on the dusty mirror, connected in the center. 

Wendy narrowed her eyes. She had seen that symbol before, hadn’t she? She shook herself, and wiped away the symbol with her hand before walking back out of the Mystery Shack bathroom. She wasn’t going to let herself get paranoid. Dipper and Mabel were back for the summer, Stanley and Ford had some old friends over to help them with some science thing. It was as normal a summer as was possible in Gravity Falls. 

“Anyway, yeah, so Grunkle Stan – who was really Grunkle Stanley and not Grunkle Stanford like we first thought because it turns out he’d stolen his twin brother’s identity - sacrificed his memories to save the world but it all worked out because we brought back his memories by reminding him of stuff that had happened over the summer,” Dipper was saying. 

“Showing him photos from the summer was my idea!” Mabel chimed in. 

“Sounds pretty cool,” Summer said. “Have I told you guys about the time I saved the world with my cute top designed by a gay man after Morty’s alien spawn almost killed everyone?” 

“Man, that sounds awesome,” Wendy said. “Hey Summer, want to go check out the place in the woods where Mabel and I once battled a unicorn for its hair?” 

“Hell yeah,” Summer said. Wendy’s heart beat a little faster when Summer’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm, but then Summer paused, looking at Dipper and Mabel. “Well, I did tell Grandpa Rick I’d take these two out for ice cream.” 

“They can come with,” Wendy said quickly. 

“Aw I’ve been there like a million times,” Dipper said. He shot Wendy a look and she widened her eyes. He couldn’t have noticed that she’d put on lipstick while in the bathroom, right? Shit. Yes, he totally could have. He had that crush on her. He smiled at her though, and mimed zipping his lips. Wendy sighed in relief, and pinched her fingers, pretending to zip her lips as well. Dipper was such a good friend. 

“I still want ice cream!” Mabel said. 

“Here,” Wendy handed them each a handful of cash. “Ice cream is on me.” 

“Alright!” Mabel yelled. She and Dipper hurried off in the direction of downtown Gravity Falls. 

Wendy smiled at Summer, and Summer shot her a grin back. Wendy led the way out of the Mystery Shack and together the girls headed towards the woods. As they walked down the path together, Wendy found herself wishing she had taken Dipper and Mabel along after all. She had no idea what to say and her hands were getting all sweaty. 

 

Remember, what Soos told you when you came out to him, Wendy thought to herself. ‘Aw Wendy, you’re a flannel wearing lumberjack chick with experience fighting monsters. Every girl you meet is gonna fall in love with you on sight.’ She took a deep breath. 

“So Summer,” Wendy said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Tell me more about these dimensions your Grandpa takes you to. I’ve been on some cool adventures, but never to another dimension. Actually, I’m usually confined to being a side character or part of a heteronormative trope.” 

“Well, back at the Mystery Shack I started to tell you, but I once visited this dimension where women ruled everything. They thought I was the leader of earth and Grandpa Rick was my slave. It was pretty cool until they almost crushed us with a giant boulder because my grandpa farted.” 

Meanwhile, at the Shonies in downtown Gravity Falls, Mabel was on her second ice cream Sunday but Dipper had barely touched his first. 

It was a sunny afternoon and Dipper had just seen what he was pretty sure was a tiny, yellow, fairy fly past the window. Any other day he would have been taking pictures and notes and rushing to tell Grunkle Ford about the fairy. Heck, any other day he would’ve been pretty excited about three strangers with the ability to freaking travel between dimensions showing up. 

“What’s wrong, Dipper?” Mabel asked, shoveling a bite of ice cream into Waddles’ mouth before taking a bite herself. Dipper had long ago given up on trying to convince his sister that sharing food with a pig was disgusting. 

“Nothing,” Dipper said. In truth, he couldn’t get the look Wendy had been giving Summer out of his head. 

“H-hey guys.” Dipper and Mabel looked around. It was that kid, Morty. 

“Hi Morty,” Dipper said. “Wanna get some ice cream with us?” 

“Sure,” Morty said, sitting down on the bench next to Dipper. 

“Where’s your Grandpa?” Mabel asked. 

Morty sighed. It looked like he was having a worse day than Dipper. “With your Grunkles,” he said. “Apparently, he knows your Grunkle Ford from a long time ago, and they know something about whatever crazy apocalyptic thing is going on. But apparently, I could never understand because I’m too stupid, or whatever so I’m supposed to just hang out while the grownups solve this. Have you ever considered that I’ve dealt with more shit than most grownups, huh Rick? You’ve never excluded me from something like this before, you know.” It seemed like Morty wasn’t really talking to Dipper and Mabel anymore. 

“Apocalyptic?” Dipper asked. 

“Yeah,” Morty said, looking way too disinterested to be talking about the freaking apocalypse.

“Grunkle Ford must know your grandpa from when he was stuck between dimensions,” Mabel said. 

“Yeah, I guess so,” Morty said. “One root beer float please,” he added to the waitress who was waiting by their table. She wrote down his order and walked off. 

“Can we go back to the apocalyptic part?” Dipper asked. 

“Oh yeah, apparently there’s a chance some old enemy of yours is still alive or something,” Morty said. “Bill Cipher? Does that ring a bell?” 

Dipper and Mabel exchanged a horrified look. 

It couldn’t be. Dipper’s heart was pounding and he had about a million questions. How could Bill Cipher be alive? How could the memory erasure have failed? And if it had failed, did that mean…No. Dipper didn’t even want to think about the horrible possibility that had come to mind, but he could tell from his sister’s terrified expression that she was thinking it too. If the memory erasing device had failed, that meant that Bill had never left Grunkle Stan’s mind. Dipper wracked his brain trying to remember anything off about his Grunkle since they had narrowly avoided Weirdmageddon. 

Another horrible thought crossed Dipper’s mind. He realized that he needed to be prepared for the worst. Maybe they hadn’t avoided Weirdmageddon at all. Maybe they had only stalled it.


	3. Nothing Matters

Rick took a sip from his flask as he watched Morty storm up the stairs. He could go after the kid. Or, on second thought, he could not. Morty would be fine being excluded, just this once. He would not be fine if he found out the truth about Rick’s connection with Bill Cipher. 

“You were kinda hard on the kid,” Ford said. Rick glared. Ford shrugged and went back to his notes. He knew Rick well enough not to press the topic. 

The other Pine brother, Stanley, was a little less willing to drop the subject. “You know, Rick,” he said. “You and my brother may be better at science-ey smart stuff but that doesn’t mean everyday people can’t help-”

“M*URP*orty helps me all the time,” Rick interrupted. “He can’t help me with this because he can’t know about Bill Cipher’s accomplice, okay? It’s…” he took a deep breath. How long had it been since he’d talked about this? Not fucking long enough. If it were up to him, he would never have to talk or think about his original dimension again. But if they were going to stop the triangle asshole he had to tell the Pine brothers the truth. Or, at least part of the truth. “Bill Cipher is working with my original M-morty, okay? Morty C137. That Morty you just met isn’t Morty C137. We’re not even in dimension C137. I abandoned that dimension a long time ago.” 

“What?” Ford asked. 

“Yeah, you lost me too,” Stanley said. 

“No, I understand what you’re saying I just – never mind,” Ford said. 

“I abandoned my original dimension, okay,” Rick explained to the dumber of the Pine brothers. “I…I abandoned the Morty that Bill is working with.” 

“But Rick, why?” asked Ford. 

“Does it matter?” Rick snapped, knocking over a mug filled with pens. “The point is, he’s w*URP*orking with Cipher now. There’s no going back.” He looked away. He couldn’t meet Ford’s eyes just then. 

“Is that a hint of guilt I detect, Sanchez?” came a laughing voice that Rick would recognize anywhere. 

Rick jumped, and turned around. His jaw dropped. Floating in the middle of the basement was a yellow, laughing, triangle. Bill Cipher’s singular eye was brimming with tears of laughter.

“Rick Sanchez! Boy, am I glad to see you! How long has it been? Ten years? Twenty? Not that time, or anything else matters, right Rick? Infinite possibilities! Infinite dimensions where you can be amazing at everything except the stuff that really matters! Infinite dimensions where you can be shitty grandpa and an even shittier dad, right?! Everything matters so little, you even abandoned your daughter, the only thing you ever created that you were really, truly, proud of-”

Rick threw the table next to him to the floor and yelled. How dare he? How dare that stupid triangle piece of shit come here and demean him? “The only thing I’ve ever created that I’m truly proud of is Beth? Is that the best you can do? Do you know what I-”

“Haha!” Bill interrupted, pointing at Rick. “You said Doo Doo!” 

Rick yelled again. Okay, under normal circumstance maybe that would’ve been funny, but he was too pissed to think about that. “D-do you know what I’ve created, y-you stupid corn chip?” he asked, shaking. “I invented a fucking gun that hops portals! I turned myself into a goddamn pickle! When I’m bored, I hack into interdimensional cable. I’m a motherfucking god, I-”

“Erase traumatic memories from your grandson that you inflicted on him? Destroy your daughter’s marriage? Do go on, Rick! I’d love to hear what else you do when you’re bored! What else have you invented? Maybe even-” Bill paused, and his wicked grin grew even wider. “A machine that could incinerate you into dust with the press of a button? Tell me, Rick, why would you invent something like that?” Bill laughed so hard the entire room seemed to shake. 

Then, as fast as he had appeared, Bill Cipher was gone. Rick was alone in the room with Stanley and Stanford pines, and a table he had knocked over. He was breathing hard, and he sat down on the floor, staring ahead. 

“It’s okay Rick,” Ford said, taking a step toward him. “Bill gets to everyone-” he started to put a hand on Rick’s shoulder, but Rick shoved him away, standing up. 

“Fuck off,” he said. “I’m fine. L-let’s just…Keep working on a way to stop Cipher. I don’t think that was really Bill, not the real him anyway. He wouldn’t have left so soon if it was. I think it was an illusion.” He narrowed his eyes, and began searching the basement. 

If Bill could exist as an illusion, there must be a symbol nearby that had summoned him, or the illusion of him. That was how his melodramatic triangle ass operated, right? And if there was a symbol nearby, someone had drawn it. 

Rick paused as he started to pick up the desk he had thrown to the ground. Drawn in light pencil underneath was a Celtic knot, overlapping three times with three triangle shaped vertices. Rick narrowed his eyes and stared at the symbol until the Pines brothers joined him. 

“Who all has had access to this room?” Rick asked.


	4. The President

“So like this?” Summer held up her sketch of three connected spirals. Wendy nodded. 

They were sitting in the breakroom of the Mystery Shack eating chips Wendy had stolen from the shack. Wendy was so badass. Summer’s feet were up on the table and she had her chair leaning back. Wendy was sitting on the counter by the sink. They were both covered in dirt and pine needles from running away from a very pissed off unicorn who had been less than happy to see Wendy. 

“Weird,” Summer said. She was twisting a strand of unicorn mane in her fingers that had gotten stuck on her when she was trying to get away. Actually, her whole top was pretty covered in white unicorn fur. She hoped her mom would pay for the dry cleaning when she got home. She narrowed her eyes in what she hoped was a look of sexy contemplation as she examined her own drawing. Before she could think of anything cooler to say though, her chair fell over and she landed flat on her back. 

“Are you okay?” Wendy jumped down from the counter and kneeled beside Summer. 

“I’m fine!” Summer said, rubbing a bruise on her elbow. 

“Looks like you got a bit of a bruise,” Wendy said, helping Summer to her feet. Summer’s heart skipped a beat when Wendy grabbed her hand, and she swallowed hoping that her hands weren’t too sweaty. 

“Anyway,” Summer said, sitting back down. “I wonder why that symbol would be drawn on the bathroom mirror?” 

“I know, right?” Wendy said. She sat down in the chair next to Summer, so close that their arms were almost touching. Summer hoped she was controlling her breathing. “So I knew I had seen the symbol before,” Wendy went on. “I just couldn’t think of where at first. Then it hit me. Dipper’s journal.” 

Just then, Dipper, Mabel and Morty entered the breakroom. Summer could tell right away that something was wrong. Mabel had been bright eyed and filled with energy when Summer first saw her, now she looked anxious and fidgety. 

Summer knew her little brother well enough to tell that he was close to crying, and made a note to try and help him get away from everyone as subtly as she could. Dipper looked the most messed up though. He had a terrified look in his eyes like he was being haunted. 

“Oh hey guys,” Wendy said. “I was just talking to Summer about this weird symbol I found.” She showed them Summer’s drawing and Dipper’s eyes widened. 

“Destroy that!” he said. 

“What?” Wendy asked. 

Before anyone could say anything else, Dipper was across the room and shredding the paper to bits. 

“What the hell Dipper?” Wendy asked. 

“That’s a Celtic regeneration symbol,” Dipper said. 

“Oh yeah,” Wendy said. “I knew I had seen it in your journal, just couldn’t remember what it meant.” 

“It means someone in the Mystery Shack drew a symbol that’s part of a spell to help bring Bill Cipher back,” Dipper said. 

“WHAT?” Wendy asked. 

Summer stared at her new friend, alarmed. This was the first time she had seen Wendy scared. Granted, she had only known her for a few hours, but still. Wendy had barely batted an eye when a fucking unicorn was chasing them. Now she looked pale and small and scared. 

“Yeah,” Dipper said. “Morty said that’s what Rick and our Grunkles are down there talking about.” 

“This is bad,” Wendy said, starting to pace. “Oh man, this is really bad. Shit. Shit. Shit!” 

Summer and Morty exchanged a look. 

Later in the evening, everyone thought everyone else was in bed. The stars shined down on Gravity Falls, and a wolf howled from somewhere in the forest. It was late, close to midnight. The witching hour. If Morty Smith were superstitious, this would freak him out. Dipper and Mabel talked about this Bill Cipher character like he was some kind of demon. 

Morty and Summer were sharing the attic with Dipper and Mabel. Stanley had set up cots for them. Morty couldn’t sleep though. Instead, he snuck out of his cot and sat outside on the roof. 

He sighed, leaning back against the tiles and staring up at the stars. He remembered as a little kid, he had liked watching the stars and thinking about how small he was compared to the rest of the universe. Now that he really understood it, and had an idea how insignificant he really was, he couldn’t understand why he had ever liked the idea. 

“Hey man,” said a friendly voice. Morty looked up to see Dipper climbing out the window and onto the roof next to him. “I couldn’t sleep either. Hope you don’t mind some company.” 

“Not at all,” Morty said. They sat in silence for a few minutes. 

“Look man,” Dipper said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I uh, I’m sure your Grandpa has a good reason for keeping you the dark about some of this stuff. Maybe he’s trying to protect you.” 

Morty couldn’t help but laugh at that. Clearly, Dipper had a very different relationship with his great uncles than Morty did with Rick. “Obviously, you don’t know Rick,” Morty said. 

“Maybe not,” Dipper admitted. “But you know, last summer Grunkle Stanley kept us in the dark about all kinds of things. His past, the fact that he had a twin. Hell, even his real name. I was pissed at first, but he really was just doing what he thought was right.” 

“Funny how old people always think they know what’s right,” Morty muttered. 

“Yeah,” Dipper agreed. 

The boys sat in silence for a bit after that, unaware that they were not the only residents of the Mystery Shack unable to sleep. 

Downstairs, in the kitchen Stanley Pines was pouring himself a drink. He jumped at the sound of someone else stumbling into the room, but sighed a breath of relief when he saw that it was just his brother’s old friend, Rick. 

“Hey,” Rick said. “Trouble sleeping?” Stan nodded. Rick eyed the vodka in Stan’s hand and Stan gave him a small smile. 

He poured a shot of vodka into a second glass and got the orange juice out of the fridge, pouring it into his drink. He was about to pour Rick some of the orange juice, but before he could Rick had downed the vodka in his cup and was pouring more, ignoring the juice. 

The two old men sat down at the kitchen table, sipping their drinks, both deep in thought. 

“So…What was so bad about your original dimension that you had to leave?” Stan asked. Rick winced, and looked away. 

Stan frowned, taking a sip form his drink. He assumed he wouldn’t be able to get anything more out of Rick. He and Ford had gotten close during their adventures when between the last summer and this one. He had heard about other dimensions and different versions of people. He had also experienced a hell of a lot in this dimension. Needless to say, he understood what it was like to have some things you didn’t want to talk about. Still, he was both nosy and stubborn and he was determined to find out what Rick was hiding at some point. 

“It’s not important,” Rick said. “What is important is that we can’t underestimate this Morty. He’s as bad as Bill.” 

“You haven’t fought Bill before,” Stan pointed out. Rick shot him a look. “Wait,” Stan said, putting the pieces together. “This isn’t the first time you’ve fought Bill?” 

“Trust me,” Rick said. “These two teaming up is literally the last thing we want.” 

In another dimension, the Citadel of Ricks, or what had once been the Citadel of Ricks, was almost silent. Everyone except President Morty was sound asleep. It was deep into the night and Morty Smith C137 couldn’t sleep. He was staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about what was going to happen in the morning. 

He hadn’t spoken to Rick C137 in so long. A splash of blood. A scream. A hollow laugh. Morty rolled over, closing his eyes tight. He wouldn’t think of that. It did no good to dwell on the past, and it didn’t matter anymore anyway. If Rick had taught him anything, it was that the past was bullshit and useless to stew over. 

Of course, he had technically spoken to Rick C137 not that long ago through his Evil Rick robot, but that almost didn’t count. Games. They had been playing games for a long time. Too long. Tomorrow, that would be over and they would face one another. 

He hated that he was shaking as he contemplated facing his original, and only, Rick. No. Not ‘his Rick.’ That was the language the Citadel of Ricks had used, and the Citadel of Ricks was gone forever. He had collapsed it. 

Morty C137 had once believed that it really was Rick and Morty against the world, Rick and Morty forever and ever, a hundred years. He had really, truly, believed that, so much that it had once been his motivation to get up every morning. Now Rick was still his motivation to get up every morning, but not so that they could adventure together. No, Morty Smith C137 got out of bed every morning motivated by his plan to destroy Rick Sanchez C137 and everything he cared about.


End file.
